Can smart phones detect a heart attack?

An EKG.
(Image credit: goir/iStock)

Each week, we spotlight a cool innovation recommended by some of the industry's top tech writers. This week's pick is a new way of detecting a heart attack.

Your Alexa or even your smartphone could soon recognize signs that you’re having a heart attack, said Dalvin Brown at USA Today. Researchers at the University of Washington "found that around half of people experiencing a heart attack made sounds known as agonal breathing." The noise is distinctive enough that the researchers believe it can be detected by "a wide array of smart devices, including Amazon Alexa, an iPhone 5s, and Samsung Galaxy S4."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us